The present invention generally relates to an assembly for mounting a door handle to a door, and more specifically relates to a mounting jig assembly for aligning and mounting a door handle over a main door bore.
Templates or guides for properly mounting door handles onto a door are well known in the building and construction industry. Generally, in a home owner application, a paper or light cardboard hole-locating template is provided with a purchased door handle assembly. A user wraps the template around an edge of the door in the location where the door handle is to be installed, and marks the centers of the required holes on the door with a pointed object. The user then drills the marked holes and installs the door handle.
Commercial installers generally use these templates in large scale projects and accordingly need a device for efficiently locating door handles during large construction or renovation projects involving many doors.
Most current templates are manufactured from paper or cardboard and can tear during use and be difficult to securely fasten to the door in the desired position. Accordingly, metal templates have been developed, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,845 to Goldstein et al., which discloses an adjustable drill guide for door handles and locks. In Goldstein, a U-shaped member is configured for fitting around the edge of the door and is secured to the door by a C-clamp. A drill bushing is inserted between one end of the C-clamp and the door, and is then positioned over the main door bore. The user then utilizes the guide holes in the bushing to drill the necessary holes for mounting the door handle/lock. However, in Goldstein, the drill bushing is only secured to the door at one location (i.e., the door edge), and accordingly can still move out of position during drilling, preventing proper mounting of the door handle.
Another potential problem in Goldstein and other current mounting assemblies is a lack of adjustment where the main door bore is located closer to or further away from the door edge than in conventional doors. Although Goldstein provides a plurality of plate portions each configured for corresponding to a particular size of main door bore, there is no accommodation for depth or offset of the bore.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,891 to Fridman, a drill guide for installing a door lock includes a plate with a centrally located plug configured for insertion into the main door bore. The plate includes a plurality of bushings and a level attached to a top edge of the plate. Using the level as a guide, the user drills holes through the bushings for properly mounting the door handle. Even though the level in Fridman acts as an alignment guide, there is still a chance for user error, which can cause misalignment of the door handle on the door. Further, in Fridman, misalignment can cause binding of the latch and handle component upon assembly, preventing the door handle from functioning properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,170 to Palmer et al. discloses a drill jig for mounting a cylindrical lock to a door including a main plate resting against the door and having guide holes for guiding the drilling of mounting holes. A cylindrical guide extends from the plate and is inserted into the main door bore, and has a groove for engaging a door latch for proper location of the door handle. However, one problem that can arise in Palmer is movement of the guide during drilling or due to imbalance or excessive play between the groove and the latch.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved mounting jig assembly for a door handle that enables more accurate drilling of the mounting holes. There is also a need for a mounting jig assembly that provides a more stable guide for drilling the necessary mounting holes than that in current assemblies. Further, there is a need for a mounting jig assembly that can accommodate doors having main door bores located in a variety of offset positions.